(AP) – Missouri education officials are investigating academic integrity issues and reports that attendance was inflated at a struggling Kansas City charter school.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said in a news release Tuesday that Hope Academy’s sponsor, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, was notified about the problems Friday.

DESE spokeswoman Sarah Potter says one issue is that only 27.4 percent of students were in attendance during a surprise visit last month, although the school was reporting a 99.5 percent attendance rate.

DESE says the school’s board of directors has placed some staff on leave, appointed an interim superintendent and hired an external auditor to look into the concerns.

The school’s board said in a statement that its swift response shows it is taking the issues seriously.